Please be nice to the newbie.....

[dot]

Hello all

I've recently given in to a nagging desire to try to make something with wood and am the proud owner of a new and largely empty workshop at home.

I have no experience, knowledge or talent. However I have enthusiasm, a willingness to learn, and about £500 to spend initially. And a small family waiting patiently and expectantly to congratulate me over my first finished piece.

I realise I probably need to start small, but I'd love to be able to make small cabinets, maybe a chair or two, maybe a bedside table. Oh, and I need to make (or buy) a workbench.

Where in the world do I start in terms of tools? Is there a "new woodworkers essential tool kit list"?

I am thinking:
Tablesaw?
Bandsaw?
Router + table?
Plane?
Clamps?
Jigsaw?

And another general question: are the cheap tools from B&Q any good for a beginner, and then I could selectively trade up later, or should I outlay more for a fewer higher quality items first? (I bought a cheap £50 router + table a while back but even I can sense it's not particularly built well....) Or just buy hand tools for now?

Sorry if you get posts like this regularly and thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Argee]

Welcome to the Forum, dot.

PM sent.

Ray.

 

[PowerTool]

Hi there,and welcome

This forum is nice to everyone as we all had to start somewhere (with me,it was woodwork at school,err,umm,30 years ago..)
How much space have you got ? (As none of us ever really have enough)
And although you will probably get different opinions on what people consider as essentials,the basics of making something are measuring,marking,and cutting - so you need something reasonable to do these before anything else.
A good first project is to make a workbench - hopefully,fun to make,and very useful when done.

Andrew

 

[DaveL]

Hi Dot,

Welcome to the forum.

I have no experience, knowledge or talent.

Well that’s not stopped most of us getting started. 8) :wink:

Tell us a bit about your workshop, garage, shed? Attached to the house? Close to neighbours who could be disturbed? Well insulated, maybe heated? \/

Is your £500 just for tools and shop stuff or do you need to get timber to start building your tuit list in this budget?

Unless you have seen Norm :norm: and would to follow in his foot steps, I think a basic set of hand tools would be a good start. I will now stand aside while someone greases The Slope TM and starts your descent down it. :roll:

 

[Colin C]

Hi Dot

You have started in the right place for advice as you will get lots and lots and lots .
If you are looking to buy tools some of us have some to sell too 8-[

Dave [-X
Dot has just started and you start to grease the slope already :roll:

 

[Scrit]

Hi dot and welcome!

I have no experience, knowledge or talent.

Well that’s not stopped most of us getting started. 8) :wink:

..... or even a few of us making a living at it

I'd like to know what you see as your priorities are, but I'd tend to agree that a set of hand tools and a judiciously chosen power tool or two might well be a good start.

As for a bench, you could do worse than a Workmate - despite the low height I still have my second one, bought in the seventies (the first goyt nicked)

Scrit

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Dot

That wasn't so bad was it?

Welcome to the forum.

It might be helpful if we had an idea of what it is you want to make first.

Cheers
Neil

 

[Paul Chapman]

Hi Dot,

Welcome to the forum.

It's very easy to get seduced by lots of sophisticated machinery but you can do very well (as a lot of us do) with mainly hand tools. If you envisage using man-made boards for some of your stuff, then you will need some power tools. The three that I find most useful are a router, biscuit jointer and electric drill, preferably with a drill stand. For the rest I would say think in terms of hand tools. Provided you learn how to sharpen them well and use them properly, they are really nice to use and will give you a lot of satisfaction. I manage quite well without a table saw, band saw or planer.

Good luck :wink:

Paul

 

[mailee]

Hi Dot, I like most on here started from an interest sparked by necessity. I was crap at woodwork at school and had no interest but after my first house and not enough money to employ people I decided to have a go myself and therin lies a story. If I had been using hand tools from the start I would never have started but bought a good circular saw, router, drill, and various measuring devices and started from that. I now after 20 years have a pretty comprehensive workshop with a lot of machines and power tools but do make a lot for customers now. My first project was a wall unit made out of veneered chipboard which now I look back on it was rubbish but it got me on the road to being a proficient woodworker. I have read a lot along with watching and questioning professionals to get where I am today. I run a part time business now and my order books are always full. Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of wood. :wink:

 

[JFC]

Welcome to the forum Dot

 

[dot]

A big THANKS to all of you - very good advice. :lol:

In terms of space we bought a new 16 x 8 shed, just next to the house, and I'm currently in one half of it (we subdivided it) but I can see myself making a bid for the other half soon....) Have the luxury of no close neighbours and so can make lots of noise (though baby daughter might complain.)

In terms of budget - yes ideally would cover the wood too.....I am guessing that there is a lot of difference in price for different woods?

In terms of what to make first - it's a toss-up between a hall bench box (is that what they're called? Something for the kids to sit on when they put their shoes on, but you open the top lid and it's got storage inside) or a little bathroom floor cabinet.

I'll keep reading and follow up on your advice - and probably pester you with more questions further down the line....

What is The Slope and am I now on it?

 

[LyNx]

What is The Slope and am I now on it?

Your not too late, only 2 posts in. Delete you account and stand well clear. Never enter the hand tool section, that a sure sign of money loss. Take it from me, i'm power tool mad and i'm after the LV LAJ at the weekend and thats even before opening my wallet. :wink:

 

[engineer one]

dot welcome, but now you have to stand back and think :twisted:

on this forum that is what causes us all problems.

start out by making things from either pine type boards, or mdf,
plain or veneered, and make sure that you finish EVERY thing
you start. it is too easy to become disenchanted with your first
efforts even when working on them, but the only way you grow in
skill is to make things, then stand back and look, think i could have
done better,and make something else.

given young children and low skill start with 3 power tools
drill/driver, jigsaw, and biscuit jointer. the first one should
be cordless. since you can initially get much of the wood cut at
the shed or woodyard, think about making holes which is where
the jigsaw comes in. you already have the router to start.
with the biscuit jointer, don't worry too much about the fence,
make a right angle jig to ensure its vertical.

buy proper mdf screws like reiser or spax, and you need a couple
of bits like the makita ones which have a counter sink on the end,
and a screwdriver bit on the other. ALWAYS drill holes for the
screws first if in particular if using MDF. otherwise the boards do
not join together properly.

you need a couple of bits of hand kit.
rulers, tapemeasure, pencils and a marking knife.
square, try the trend one with the wings this will ensure that
you can get a square line round two sides of the wood in one go,
making it easier to ensure that things line up.

spirit level is a good idea. and a couple of chisels are worthwhile,
say 1/4 and 1 inch,but then you need sharpening gear,
and that is where the learning and expenditure slope starts.

start out hand sanding, just to round off the corners, remember
with kids round corners are VITAL.

a hall bench is a good but quite complicated first piece
so try a couple of bedside cabinets first, in reality they are
only square boxes with add ons for beauty, and can be made
from one 8x4 sheet of 18mm mdf. you could paint them and they
would work well.

hope this helps too
and welcome to the madhouse :lol:

paul :wink:

 

[WellsWood]

What is The Slope and am I now on it?

Hi Dot, and welcome, oh yes you certainly are on the slope. Some wag will undoubtedly be along momentarily to define it much more eloquently than I ever could, but I suspect you may have an inkling already :wink: . lets just say it's gradient is dictated largely (but not entirely) by the depth of your pockets and the space available in your workshop. 16 x 8 eh? - Metres or feet? Could be very slippery indeed if the former.

Seriously though, everyones right so far; if you don't know what to make or how to make it the last thing you need to do is rush out and blow the budget on stuff which may turn out to be wholly unsuitable for your purpose. One thing is certain, you will need a bench of some sort. Why not make that your first project? It needn't be fancy to start with so it doesn't need to cost much in materials. If you plan it first on paper having researched ideas for construction methods either at the library, online, or even on this forum, then you will soon start to get a feel for what you need to make the cuts and therefore the joints you have decided on. You will end up with the beginnings of an organised workspace, and you will learn a great deal in the process without huge initial outlay.

As far as quality of tools go, they do say "buy cheap, buy twice". But there are some very good budget tools on the market which may be perfectly adequate. Shop around and talk to people who already have one, this forum is awash with "..I'm thinking of getting one of these, are they any good" type threads.

Good luck with whatever you decide to make/buy first, and when you get stuck, as we all do from time to time, you know where we are.

Mark.

 

[Anonymous]

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[Alf]

Welcome to the forum, Dot.

Well you may not learn what the ideal set of tools are, but you're surely getting an introduction to the preferences of individual members. :wink: Being the literary type I'm going to suggest you do a <i>lot</i> of reading, but maybe from just one source. There's great info in the archives here, but most of it is just plain confusing until you know enough to pick and choose. Personally I suggest The Complete Manual of Woodworking by Jackson & Day, but folks who've come to woodworking more recently may have a better suggestion.

Other than that, not knowing if you want to work in wood or use sheet materials, it's hard to say. Must say I'm a little surprised at the biscuit jointer becoming an essential, but then I'm a terrible old traditionalist.

Good luck, and feel free to ask plenty of questions - just expect plenty of different answers. :wink:

Cheers, Alf

 

[garywayne]

Hello Dot.

Welcome to the forum.

I think the most important thing about woodwork is measuring accurately, marking with a marking knife, (accurately), and cutting right on the line, waste side.

"Measure twice, cut once", as they say. Remember, if you cut a piece to long, you can always shave more off. If you cut it to short, you can not add more on.

Sorry for rambling, not very good at this advice thing. Remember to have fun. That's the most important thing.

ATB Gary.

 

[wizer]

Hi Dot and welcome. If I was to start again then this is what i'd buy.

Power Tools

Drill/Driver (cordless is best here)
Router
Biscuit Jointer
Circular Saw (with some sort of guide system even if homemade)

Handtools

A Good set of chisels (Marples at least, I have the kirschens which are nice)
Mallet
Tenon Saw

As a beginner I bought all the cheap tools you could think of and struggled to make anything at all. One thing I would deffinately say is to NOT but a Tablesaw yet. I rushed out and bought a Ferm TS from Screwfix and it was terrible, it scared the life out of me and how anyone could have ever made a straight accurate cut on it is beyond me. Your best off waiting until you have some projects under your belt and then researching what you need out of the large machinery like tables saws, bandsaws, planers, sanders, etc , etc (the Slope is one way only i'm afraid). As ALF suggested, get yourself some good books and read about the theory behind woodworking as well as the very basic (tho skilled) methods. Might even be useful for you to take a woodworking class? I started like this and it certainly helped me understand a lot about working with handtools.

Good luck with your first project and stick around these forums, the help and advice you'll get is invaluable.

 

[Vormulac]

Hi Dot, welcome to the forum.

I'm one of the less experienced members here, but if I had one piece of advice on machinery it would be to start off with just one 'big' piece - a bandsaw. Even an inexpensive one will give good results for a relative novice, provided you fit a decent blade (these are inexpensive and there are plenty of posts on here about where to obtain them). They are also extremely flexible, you can do a lot with them. Don't get a tablesaw until you a) know you need one, b) can afford a good one - I'm ruing jumping the gun and buying a cheap TS - it's a piece of junk, but the cheaper bandsaw is worth its weight in gold.

Happy woodworking - and please remember that safety is more important than anything else in the workshop.

Vormulac.

 

[Pete W]

Hi Dot,

About the single best resource for getting started is, I think, Popular Woodworking's 'I Can Do That'. Point your browser here:
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/icandothat/

PWW is one of the best woodworking magazines, American but worth a subscription. Every issue they include a starter project - the current one is a simple bench of just the sort of hallway shoe-store you described. At the website you'll find an Acrobat PDF file that guides you through the basic toolkit and essential techniques.

They include a biscuit jointer and a mitre saw in their 'essential' list; I reckon you can do without both to start with but, as you've seen, others think differently.

For your first projects you can make everything with pine furniture board and other softwood available from your local DIY superstore. It's not great, but it's cheap, readily available, will allow you to work without many of the larger stationary tools like a table saw and a thickness planer, and will get you going while you save for the big stuff.

Have fun